I Wanna Hold Your Hand Part III - Steve and Sarah Catch Up
by nastone
Summary: Sequel to 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' Part I and II - A series of catch-ups with Steve and Sarah's growing family over the years.
1. Chapter 1

**Steve & Sarah**

_**I hope you all enjoy this glimpse into Steve and Sarah's growing family life, the fun and havoc it reeks on their lives. **_

_**The story opens five years after 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand II' ended. **_

**Five Years Later**

Sarah sat on the lanai watching her two favourite people in the world playing on the beach. Danno, Grace, Kono and Adam joined Steve and Stephie in a game of football.

She looked over to see Stephie stuck to her father's back like a little monkey, her jet-black hair flowing behind her. Steve had the ball and he passed it to Adam, who dodged Kono and scored a touch down for his team. The three of them high fived as Kono, Grace and Danno grumbled and complained that there was definitely cheating involved.

Adam Noshimuri had become quite a fixture since he had becoming involved with Kono. At first it had been rather awkward, in fact the men hardly spoke to him, but Sarah had spoken to them and had reasoned with them all to give him a chance. After all he had saved Kono's life and she was in love with him. How could they not support her? And somehow, they had both lasted this long, even though their journey had had its share of ups and downs. They still had a lot to overcome.

Chin Ho snored lightly on the settee adjacent to her since he was unable to join the rest of them after his knee injury. She was glad that he was gradually getting back to normal after losing Malia. Although normal would still not be the same as before when he always had a smile on his face.

For a while it had been so bad that he had admitted to her once when she asked him, that he couldn't stand to be around people who were happy while his Malia was dead. He had refrained from being around them too much and avoided major celebrations such as birthdays and anniversaries. He still did but at least he had started to come to their regular weekend lunches again. He had been sorely missed.

Sarah was distracted by the sound of the newest addition to the McGarrett household, Sylvie who was three months old and already impatient. Like her older sister she also had Steve's eyes and her black hair, but where Stephie looked more like Steve right from the beginning, Sylvie was more of a mixture of them both. And unlike her sister, she had been planned.

They had actively decided to have a second baby because neither she nor Steve wanted their Stephie to be an only child. Even though Stephie was very close to Danno's daughter Grace and the two were sometimes inseparable, it was special to have a sibling. And no doubt Grace would be great with little Sylvie as well. At fourteen, Grace was nuts about her and couldn't wait for her to get a little older.

The football game on the beach ended with another touchdown, this time by Steve. They moved toward the house and Sarah couldn't help but admire him. She still couldn't believe sometimes that she had been lucky enough to land him as her husband.

At thirty-nine, his dark hair was slowly going greyer and he couldn't have looked sexier if he tried. At the moment he was just in board shorts, showing off his amazing body and man, was he fit. His active lifestyle had kept him in shape and he would always be that way. He had even managed to get her fitter and healthier. He was a damn drill sergeant when he exercised with her but it had worked. If she complained, his response would always be "You're the one who asked for it".

"Hey there pretty lady" he came up to her, Stephie still on his back, her little arms securely wrapped around his neck. He carefully bent and kissed her lips, "How are my girls doing?"

Sarah held his face in her hands and kissed him again, "We're good. Just admiring the view" she winked at him.

"You don't look too bad yourself" he flirted back.

"Get your filthy paws of my sister" came a growl behind them. They both turned to see her brother Jay come in dressed in slacks and a business shirt, followed by Lorraine also dressed formally in a fancy dress.

Steve straightened, "We have two kids together, will you get off my back now?" he asked exasperated. Stephie had already started squirming.

"Uncle Jay" she exclaimed as she clambered off her father's back and ran to her uncle.

"Hey baby" he bent to pick her up and kissed her cheeks. Then she was promptly kissed by her aunt. If her daughter wasn't the most spoiled kid. "And no I'll never get off your back about my sister" he smiled at Steve.

Her husband sat next to her, "I don't get your brother" he reached for the basinet and looked in on Sylvie as she slept through all the noise the adults were making.

"Believe me I know what you mean" Chin commiserated sleepily as he watched Adam standing against the railing with his arms rapped around Kono.

"Oh cuz, you secretly love Adam" Kono teased him, knowing completely that Adam and Chin had an understanding. As long as Adam kept his nose clean and treated Kono well, Chin was okay with him.

Chin just grumbled something under his breath, as he got to his feet wobbly and hobbled into the house.

"And you're going to get it even more once Stephie grows up" Danno chimed in, "I have to keep an eye on every guy in Grace's school now".

Grace who had just returned with a glass of iced tea from inside and plopped next to Sylvie's basinet, "Danno, you've been doing that since I started school" she said cheekily.

"Don't get cheeky with me, monkey" he smiled at his daughter who just stuck her tongue out at him then proceeded to try and wake up the baby.

The afternoon went on with everyone just relaxing and eating the food that everyone had pitched in. Soon Steve's guitar came out and Jay played it, finally relaxing after what she knew was another busy weekend with his business associates.

She loved it that her brother and sister – in – law had become such a big part of their lives. Jay had even admitted that this was probably the only place he could come and relax where he could spend time spoiling his nieces and drive his brother – in – law up the wall with his ribbing.

Sarah knew why he and Loraine loved spending time with their children, and it was sad that even after trying every treatment under the sun they hadn't been able to get pregnant. They had wanted to adopt and had been on the waiting list for the past three years. All she wanted was for her family to be happy.

Speaking of family, she couldn't wait for Mary and Doris to come from New York for their visit. They still had not seen Sylvie.

For about a year it had been touch and go with Mary and Doris and their relationship. But it had taken a Christmas where Steve had sat down with Mary and had a chat with her. After that she had agreed to give her mother a chance. Doris, without missing a beat had moved to New York to be closer to her daughter.

"When is your mom coming?" She asked Steve, while everyone was leaving. It took at least half an hour for everyone to hug and kiss each other goodnight. It was as if all the events, both tragic and good had made everyone aware of how precious they were to each other.

Steve pulled her into his arms, kissing her neck, "Sometime next week" he said distractedly. After so long together, she had started to read the signs. When Steve was on a mission nothing could distract him, whether the mission was a combat situation or sex. Right now his mind was on the latter and his laser focus would not entertain anything else.

"Steve you're not listening" she said teasingly, sifting her hands through his hair. She arched her neck, giving him more room.

He licked her throat and sucked, leaving a love bite, "How do you expect me to listen in a moment like this?" he mumbled, his hands gliding down her back and cupping her bottom. He lifted her up and she automatically wrapped her legs around his waist to hang on.

"Did you put the kids to bed while I cleaned up?" she asked him. She felt him start to move and she knew he was moving toward the couch.

"Yeah, Stephie was already half dead" he put her on the couch and then loomed over her. His smile was wolfish as he proceeded to get her top off.

Too late she heard a small rip, "Don't rip it!" she said quickly but it was too late as he held up her white linen and lace top, the strap hanging.

"Sorry" he said trying to sound convincing but his naughty smile said otherwise.

She laughed at his expression, "No you're not" she said, while pulling him down to claim his mouth in a deep kiss. "You better buy me a new one" she murmured against his mouth.

She ran her hands down his back and enjoyed the smooth ripple of his muscles under her fingers.

"You make me so happy" he murmured as he shed more of his and her clothes. Looks like they were going to be making love on the couch.

She smiled at him, "You make me happy too" he stroked her thigh up to her side producing a ticklish giggle which was rather loud.

"Shhh, don't wake the kids, we'll scar them for life" he laughed as he bent his head to kiss her.

They tried to be as quiet as possible, but after a while all was forgotten except for each other.

-X-

Steve lifted his head off Sarah's chest, he looked down and saw that she was dosing.

A smile curled his lips as he disentangled their limbs so he could lift her up and carry her to bed. She woke up halfway there and complained that he was going to damage his back.

When they settled in bed, he covered them up with the bedcovers, making sure before hand that they had put on their nightclothes first, him in his boxers and Sarah in her short night shirt with Mickey Mouse on it. Stephie had gotten into the habit of getting in their bed in the middle of the night.

As if on cue he heard the soft patter of feet in the hallway, then a small voice called, "Daddy?" just before a tousled little head peaked through the doorway.

"In here baby. Cant sleep?" he asked his daughter getting out of bed. She stood in her white cotton nightgown with little pink flowers that Anita had hand stitched for her. He could see her little toes peeking out of the bottom and her chubby arms hanging onto her ratty brown monkey that had once belonged to Grace. She raised her hands so he bent and immediately picked her up, feeling her little body squirming a little before settling comfortably in the nook of his arm.

"I wanna sleep with you and Mama" She rubbed her eyes sleepily, looking absolutely adorable. Her dark blue eyes were big behind the jet-black bangs on her forehead.

"Alright baby. Come let's check on your sister first and then we'll go sleep. You need to go wee-wee?" he asked her just to make sure. A couple of times they had woken up in a wet bed.

Stephie only nodded her head while he carried her into the nursery. He looked in on Sylvie and smiled as she slept on peacefully, but not for long because she had another hour or so before Sarah would be up to feed her.

Standing next to his two girls, he could never believe that this was his life. In fact, he would sometimes have to pinch himself just to make sure that he was not in someone else's dream.

Not everything had been perfect, no marriage was. He and Sarah both had to adjust a lot to make the life that they wanted to have for their family. He knew she sometimes regretted the loss of her independence and freedom, and so did he, but they had both realised that being with each other and their children was ultimately what they wanted more than anything else in the world.

They still fought, sometimes not talking to each other for a couple of days. Steve would go with Chin or Danno to cool off and they would get some space away from each other. But he would always come back with the feeling of peace knowing that his wife and daughters were his life.

He could feel Stephie growing into a dead weight in his arms, falling asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. But the minute he put her in her own bed she would wake up, so he took her back to their bedroom and gently laid her in the space between him and Sarah. Immediately she turned to her mother and snuggled in close.

"I see we have an intruder again" Sarah murmured sleepily. "We need to get her used to sleeping in her own bed".

"What else can we do? She goes to sleep every night in her own room and ends up between us" he said as he ran his fingers through Sarah's hair. Her eyes were closed, half asleep. "She'll get better".

"Can you imagine if Sylvie wants to sleep here too? That's one crowded bed" She yawned as she sat up, "I might as well feed her since I'm up".

He watched his wife get out of bed, admiring her body that was rather visible through her nightshirt. If it was possible, she was even hotter than before she'd had the kids. In no way had she lost her plumpness, but she was more toned thanks to the grueling workouts he made her do, all because she wanted him to help her.

If someone had told him six years ago that he would be one day married happily with kids, he would have laughed in their face. But there was never a day that he wasn't grateful to God that he had given him this life.

Despite going through all the heartache of losing his parents, then discovering his mother's lies and double life and the disruption to his family because of it, he wouldn't change one thing about his life. Because if that hadn't have happened to him, who knew what he would have been? Would he have still met Sarah? Maybe he wouldn't have.

And because of that, he would never regret anything.


	2. Chapter 2

**STEVE & SARAH**

**Three Years Later**

Commander Steven J McGarrett had been trained as a SEAL, he had been one of the best. He had been in some of the worst combat situations over the years as both a SEAL and also a cop working with the Five – O Taskforce. But nothing had prepared him for this.

"What do you mean, both heartbeats?" he asked dumbfounded.

The doctor who was conducting Sarah's ultrasound smiled patiently at him, "It means Steven that you are expecting twins. Twin girls, to be exact".

"Girls? Again?" Sarah asked and then laughed, "Sorry Steve, I don't think you have any boy sperm. You're destined to only have girls".

Steve was still dazed from the news that he was going to be a father for the third time to twins. Girls! Damn, now he understood what Danno meant when he said a man could never breath easy if he had a daughter. And Steve didn't have just one, he would have four by the time these two were born!

When he hadn't said anything, Sarah's smiling expression changed into one of worry, "Steve, are you okay?"

He looked down at her. Even after nine years together, she still looked the same and he was still crazy about her, "I'm trying to catch my breath and count how many more shotguns I'm gonna need".

She smiled and touched his hand, "Good, coz I was worried that you would be disappointed that this one wasn't a boy".

"Are you kidding me? Any baby is precious, I was just hoping for a boy because then I could breath a little easy and sleep more peacefully" he said wiping the sweat that had beaded on his forehead, as he imagined the coming years. Years that would be filled with boys sniffing around his baby girls. Evil boys, who could not be trusted!

"Relax Steve. If you start teaching these two and Sylvie the way you've already started with Stephie, they'll be fine" Sarah tried to comfort him.

The thought of his two daughters brought a smile to his face. Eight and half year old Stephania already knew how to throw a punch and was very adept at Karate. Little Sylvie was only three now, but she was due to start her first Karate lesson this week. And as soon as these two were big enough they would be enrolled in something as well. Steve wanted to make sure that his girls could handle themselves when they were older. He knew that he could not be with them twenty – four – seven so he would prepare them as much as he could to defend themselves from any situation that would prove harmful to them.

He hadn't told Sarah yet, but he fully intended to train all his girls in hand-to-hand combat as well as teach them how to handle a gun.

He could feel the cold sweat run down his back at the thought of his daughters being in a situation that would require them to use their skills at all. Ideally he would have loved to wrap them in cotton wool and keep them away from all the harms of the world. But both Sarah and he knew first hand that life could be very harsh and it was better to prepare the girls for what may or may not come their way.

-X-

After they finished with the appointment, Sarah decided to treat Steve lunch. So she drove them to Kamekona's shrimp truck. Even though he himself was not running them anymore, he had managed to become quite the franchise, with his shrimp trucks popping up all over the island.

Over a plate of beautiful Chili Shrimp, she watched her husband chew thoughtfully.

"Steve, are you sure you're okay?" she asked concerned because he had been unusually silent for quite a while now.

He chewed some more then swallowed some of the beer, "Yeah, honestly I'm doing okay. I'm just worried about you?"

She laughed at that, "Why in the world are you worried about me?"

He shrugged and popped another shrimp into his mouth, then offered her one, "You always wanted to travel and see the world, now I've saddled you with four kids and I have a job that doesn't give us much time away from here" he swallowed loudly.

Sarah reached for his hand, "Hey, you didn't saddle me with anything. And you're not the only one who forgot to use protection when these two new babies were made. It just happened and you know what Steve? I wouldn't change my life for the world" she smiled into his face.

"Really?" he asked, almost looking like a little boy.

"Absolutely. And yes I wanted to travel and see the world, but I'm only thirty-three, I have my whole life ahead of me" she kissed his hand, "And when the girls are all grown up, you and I are going on a year long vacation where we're going to travel the world and do everything we've wanted to do".

He laughed at that, "What about your plans to study? You wanted to do your PhD before you were forty, remember?"

Sarah sipped her iced tea, "Well, I did get an acceptance from Columbia University, I was waiting to tell you. They have agreed to let me defer the start date for a year, which means that ma has agreed to come and help with the babies so I can get some of my work done".

Steve smiled at her, "You're sure got everything covered. Congratulations baby" he leaned over and gave her long kiss, his lips lingering making her feel all hot and bothered.

"Well I just have to figure out who my supervisor is going to be and I will be communicating with him or her via Skype and email. So I really don't have to go to New York very often, except maybe to get some resources every few months, or I can get access over the internet or through one of the university link ups here" She smiled, very pleased with herself for figuring everything out. Getting her education complete had been extremely important to her and having Steve's support had made it all the more easy for her to make the decision to do this.

"I am so proud of you. Soon you'll be Dr. Sarah Morrissey McGarrett. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" he fed her a shrimp, winking at her.

She chewed, "Are you sure I'm not taking on too much?" once again needing his reassurance that everything was fine.

"Babe, if you can take on me dying and coming back to life, my crazy job and raising two kids, not to mention the prospect of raising two more kids, you can pretty much do anything" he said sipping his beer. "And did I mention having Doris McGarrett as your mother – in – law?"

"It's true, your mother can be quite a challenge to deal with, although she means well and everything she does, is from love" Sarah said recognizing her mother – in – laws constant need to know exactly what was going on their lives. To say that she was paranoid and high strung was an understatement. If the kids or any of them so much as had a mosquito bite, she was ready to do some damage!

Over the years, she had come to respect the woman and even though she had not agreed with it, she did understand Doris' need to keep herself away from her husband and children. Sarah had very clearly told Steve that if he EVER decided to do something like that to them (as if he already hadn't!) she would be doing some damage of her own.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her just as his cell phone rang, "Hang on it's Chin". He answered his phone and the next thing she knew she was dropping him off at the HPD headquarters after a lingering kiss.

"Be safe" she said against his lips as she craned her neck out the window to meet him halfway.

"I always am" he smiled.

She grunted, "Yeah right, you ass".

Steve laughed as he ran toward the entrance, turned and blew her a kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sarah and Steve**

**Sixteen Years Later**

Stephania Joy McGarrett wondered when things had gotten this bad. Growing up, she had considered herself lucky because she knew no one else whose parents were so disgustingly in love with each other. In fact, at times it could get embarrassing, especially in front of her friends.

It was horrifying when her dad would swoop her mom into his arms and they would start to make out like teenagers. It was even worse when she and her sisters had walked in on them, wanting to wish their dad a Happy Birthday. Her youngest twin sisters had been too young to notice what their parents had been up to, but she and Sylvie had just turned seventeen and twelve respectively, and they had not spoken to their parents for a week.

Now as she looked around the dining table, she could feel tears prick her eyes. It was Thanksgiving and her family was in shambles. Her parents were barely on speaking terms, Sylvie refused to come home from New York for the holidays because she couldn't stand to be around their dad, and the twins, Sierra and Sky were too confused to know who to support so they had shut down into their own little world.

At twenty – four, Stephania had decided to be the diplomat in the family, since no one else wanted the job. She had to give her parents credit for not fighting in front of the little ones, but she had been witness to some very sarcastic comments and snide remarks passed between the two of them.

"Stephie, could you please pass the yams?" her father asked. She watched him eat his food, his nearly grey head bent over his plate, not looking at anyone.

Why they were even having this sham of a thanksgiving dinner was beyond her, "Why don't you ask mom, its right next to her" Sierra said loudly and rather rudely.

"Sierra, behave" Stephie said in a warning tone.

"Who died and made you my mother?" she said rudely again, shocking Stephie completely.

"When did you start talking to me like that?" She countered, putting her fork down.

"Can we just pass these yams to your father and finish dinner? I have an early flight to catch in the morning" Her mother spoke up finally, passing the yams to Sky, who looked ready to jump out of her seat like a scared rabbit. She quickly passed the dish to their dad, got up and left the room.

"You know what? This shit blows, I'm off!" Sierra threw her napkin on the table and got up. She grabbed her handbag from the chair near the fridge and walked to the front door.

"Aren't you going to stop her?" mom spoke in the general direction of dad, who had already started to get up from his seat.

"Sierra, you get in here right now" he said loudly following her to the driveway.

Stephie turned to her mother, "What has been going on? If you and dad cannot stand to be in the same room as each other, why the hell don't you both just get divorced?"

"And what about the girls? They're too young" her mother mumbled as she pinched her nose, which meant she had a migraine coming.

"Ma, what good is it doing them with you guys staying together?" Stephie got up from her seat and moved close to her mother. She put her arm around her, "Ma what happened to you guys? You used to be so happy".

Her mother laughed mirthlessly, "That is for your father to answer" she said quietly, "I am so sorry baby girl, that you had to come home to this chaos" she said as she put her arms around Stephie's shoulders and hugging her tight. "I think I should go check on Sky".

When her mother left, Stephie cleared up the table, took her wineglass, wine bottle and went out onto the beach. This place had some of her best memories growing up. She remembered the time her dad had taught her how to swim, her mom watching from the beach. He had teased her mercilessly about not being able to swim even after years of trying to teach her. They had celebrated her mother's thirtieth birthday party, for which her dad had baked a very questionable cake, with the help of Aunty Kono.

And she would never forget the time her parents had been having one of their silly fights and when her mom had asked him what his problem was, he had calmly replied that he was sick and tired of being bombarded by PMSing females and it was finally his time! They had all burst into cackling laughter and dragged him into the water to cool him off.

Now she stood here, her family on the verge of breaking up. All she could think of was, what if there was a time machine…

"Hey kiddo, I thought I would be able to find you here" dad spoke from behind her. He sat next to her in the sand and put his arm around her shoulder.

"I just needed to get some air" She took a sip from her glass and offered it to her father. Even at fifty - eight, her father was an imposing figure. Growing up, the two boyfriends she had brought home had been terrified of him.

"So what were you thinking about?" he asked her, passing the glass back to her.

"I was thinking about Jason Liefting and how he ran from the house without even giving me a goodnight kiss. I thought him terribly rude" she laughed.

He laughed at that as well, "Well, it probably didn't help that Danno and I made it a point to show off our badges and guns".

"Not to mention, when you actually pulled a gun on Luke Scott, when he brought me back fifteen minutes after curfew" she looked at her father, "What happened to you dad? You couldn't even stop Sierra from leaving the house?"

Her father's broad, solid shoulders drooped as if he had all the burden in the world on them, "Things have been bad the last few years".

She snorted, "Dad, bad is an understatement. This family is practically in meltdown and no one is talking about it. I tried to get something out of Sylvie when she came to live with me in New York. The twins barely acknowledge me and when they do, one hardly talks and the other is rude beyond belief. And mom, says you are the one to answer all my questions" she turned to him and said, "So dad tell me what is the problem and how did we get this bad?"

For a long while, her father remained silent. When she had given up and was about to go back inside, he spoke. "Whatever we are going through is all my fault. There is no one else to blame but me for this dysfunction".

She hated hearing her father sound so dejected, she had never seen him like this. "Dad what happened? Why is Sylvie so angry with you that she refuses to come back home".

"Since I met your mom, I have put her through so much that I think she has finally decided that she should never have been with me in the first place".

"What are you talking about? You and mom are so in love with each other".

"I am, I'm not so sure about your mom though" he sighed as he took the bottle from her and took a swig of the wine, "You see she thinks I cheated on her".

Stephie raised her eyebrows, "You cheated on mom?"

"God no, but I came very close to it" he spoke quietly. "But she refuses to believe me".

Stephie could hear the tears in his voice. He tried his best to cough and clear his throat, but she saw a tear slip down his cheek in the moonlight. "Oh Dad" she hugged him around the waist and rested her head on his chest. His strong heartbeat under her ear, reassured her as it always did. "We're the McGarrett's, we can get through anything".

Her father hugged her closer, "I miss her and all my girls. I have to find a way to make it up to her" he breathed in the sea air, "Oh baby, I miss her so much".

She squeezed him tighter, "I know dad. Don't worry, everything will be okay" She rose up and kissed him on his cheek. "I had a long day and I have to get up early to drop mom to the airport, so I'm off to bed. Goodnight daddy".

"Sweet dreams baby" he said kissing her forehead, "I'll see you in the morning".

-X-

Sarah tip-toed past Steve, who was supposedly sleeping on the couch. Supposedly because Steve was and always would be a SEAL, even the slightest change in breath would alert him at the most surprising of times. He was avoiding her, just like she was avoiding him.

This was no trivial fight they were having. Everyone around them was used to them not talking for a couple of days, then make up almost as if nothing had happened. But this time, it had been one too many things adding up against Steve. Over the years she had taken all kinds of shit from him, from him disappearing for days on end without telling her, leaving her with four kids, not knowing whether he will be back in one piece or in a body bag. That she had dealt with, somehow. She had buckled down and realised that she had married a man who would never change and she had made a commitment and she loved him.

However a year ago, he had crossed a line and done something that she was not sure she could ever forgive. For the last year she had been trying, but she was getting tired and wasn't sure how long she could go on avoiding the issue.

This morning she tried to be as quiet as possible as she made her coffee and got ready to leave for New York for a lecture she was giving at Columbia University as a guest at her mentor's request. She was going to use this as an opportunity to relax with her mother and Sylvie and get away from the stress of it all.

"Ma? You leaving already?" a tiny voice spoke from behind.

Sarah felt tears in her eyes at the sad tone of her baby's voice. "Not right now sweetie. You want to have breakfast with me?" she asked her. Sky had always been the shy one compared to Sierra, but ever since the situation between Sarah and Steve had deteriorated, she had withdrawn even more into herself. The only person she talked to was her twin, who thankfully had finally crawled in at three a.m, drunk and being carried in by one of her classmates.

"Okay" she said in a small voice.

Sarah quickly whipped up some eggs and pulled out some bacon, knowing soon everyone would be up and hungry. She prepared a fresh pot of coffee for Stephie and Steve and if Sierra woke up before she left.

"Good morning Daddy" Sky spoke up.

Sarah's back stiffened as she mixed the eggs on the stovetop.

"Morning baby" she heard Steve kiss Sky. "Something smells great" he said.

"Mom's making breaky before she leaves. Want some coffee?" Sky proceeded to get her father's mug out and pour him some the way he liked it. Steve still used the crooked blue mug emblazoned with 'World's best Daddy' the twins had made him for father's day.

"Thank you sweetheart" he took his mug and gulped loudly.

Sarah finally turned and tried not to look at him. Despite everything, her heart still stopped every time she looked at him. His thick black hair was salt and pepper and he still had a great body, his muscles still strong. He worked out every day and took care of himself, not because of his job but because it had become a way of life for him.

"Daddy are you going to kiss Mom?" Sky hinted, "Like you used to?"

"Why not?" He put on a smile as he made his way toward her. She froze as she looked up and saw that glint in his eyes. The glint that said he was slightly turned on. She could read him like a book and she knew exactly when he wanted _it_ from her. "Good morning sweetheart".

Steve cupped her face and bent his head, his lips touched hers in a light kiss that brought tears to her eyes, it was so sweet. It had been months, maybe more, since they had kissed. She couldn't help herself, her arms went around his neck and she angled her head as he deepened the kiss. She felt his arms go around her waist and lift her up against his chest.

A discreet cough and gasp distracted them and they broke apart to watch Stephie's back and Sky's black braid disappear from the kitchen, followed by giggling.

"At least we made the girls happy" Steve murmured.

Sarah pushed out of his arms, "I have to get ready and you need to go to work". She went to leave the room, but Steve snagged her hand.

"Can I get a kiss before you leave?" he said looking cocky, but he had a vulnerability about him, expecting to get rejected.

She extracted her hand from his tight hold, "I'll be late for my flight".

"Have a safe flight. I'll see you when you get back" he let go of her hand and turned away, trying his best to hide his disappointment from her.

-X-

Steve watched as Stephie helped load Sarah's bags into the Red Jeep that had now become the default vehicle for whoever was visiting.

God, he missed his wife. He watched her thick long black hair swing as she deftly got into the Jeep. From a distance she still looked like the young girl he had fallen in love with, in her skinny jeans and plain white t – shirt, her feet in tan leather boots. Looking at her no one could tell she was the mother of four grown girls.

Even up close she didn't look like she was in her late forties, in fact she didn't look a day over thirty – five, her skin still smooth of any wrinkles, except when she laughed. And his wife hadn't laughed in a long time. He missed her laugh.

And it was his entire fault. He had no one else to blame for his wife's unhappiness and his family's chaotic state.

Steve couldn't believe how stupid he had been. How could he have even thought he could give up his family for a moment of gratification? But he knew that was not the only reason why Sarah was angry with him. She was angry with him because he had almost slept with a woman who had meant a lot to him in the past – Catherine.

If he closed his eyes, he could still see Sarah's face and the shock in her eyes when she had walked in on Steve and Catherine kissing in his office.

They had been working on a case together and had gotten talking about the past. Catherine had been telling him about her divorce and how she missed him and what they had had.

Steve had crossed a line that should never have been crossed. He was very much in love with his wife, but over the years he had taken it for granted that she would always be there for him. He had become complacent as a husband. He had taken advantage of her trust.

He didn't want to think of what would have happened if she hadn't walked in. He would have liked to think that he would have stopped himself from sleeping with Catherine, but he was not sure.

To be honest, Steve had started to resent the fact that he was no longer the centre of his wife's world anymore. In his head he knew that was ridiculous, he had always liked the fact that Sarah had been independent, had always encouraged her academic pursuits. But she had been working on her PhD and she had gotten busy and stressed, as a result they had drifted apart a little. Their sex life had suffered and that had been one department in their marriage that had never suffered.

God, he was a selfish bastard! Sarah had supported him through thick and thin. She had been through hell and back because of him and he had repaid her by almost sleeping with another woman. No wonder she hated him! He should have let her know how proud he was of her. That she had accomplished so much in her life, her marriage, four children and a successful career. He was proud that his wife had achieved so much and still been able to deal with the shit that he put her through, instead he had betrayed her trust.

He thought about the kiss they had shared this morning. He had seen in her eyes the desire and love. She had even responded like she always had, melting in his arms, giving herself up to their kiss. That gave him hope.

He closed his eyes and prayed he could still get his wife back. He had to because he knew he couldn't live without her.


End file.
